Research Team
Director of Research & Policy Programs
As Director of the Native Assets Research Center, Sarah Dewees is responsible for the coordination of all research, policy, and evaluation activities at First Nations in order to further our understanding of asset-based community development in Native American communities.
Sarah joined the staff in 2002 from a position as a research project manager at the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She worked previously at the Rural Policy Research Institute on issues related to rural development and welfare reform. She has worked in both applied and academic research settings and has conducted research on a range of issues including rural community economic development, rural education, rural transportation, local economic development policy, and welfare reform. Her publications have appeared in the Journal of the Community Development Society, Rural Sociology, and Sociological Practice, and she has taught at the University of Kentucky and Towson University.
Sarah received her Ph.D. in Rural Sociology from the University of Kentucky in 1998, an M.A. in Sociology from Ohio University in 1992, and a B.A. in Government from Oberlin College in 1990.
Raymond serves as the Research Officer for the First Nations’ policy department. As Research Officer, he participates in a range of research projects involving Native asset valuation, including Indian land, financial assets, and natural resources.
Raymond’s primary responsibilities include conducting field research and the gathering and analyses of primary and secondary data from interviews, surveys, statistical sources, academic research and other resources. His duties also involve the management and administration of research related convenings, meetings, focus groups, and other events.
Prior to joining First Nations, Raymond served as a Project Officer for the American Indian College Fund (the Fund) in
Raymond holds a B.A. in political science and is a doctoral student in the department of political science at the
Catherine serves as a Project Officer for the First Nations Development Institute. Her duties include participating in a wide range of projects including organizing and planning convenings and meetings for grantees, drafting grant reports, working with grantees under a variety of grant programs, planning and providing training sessions, conducting research, and performing evaluations. Prior to joining the Institute, she was a legal analyst for the National Tribal Justice Resource Center (NTJRC), a training and technical assistance provider for tribal justice systems located in Boulder, CO. Her focus at NTJRC centered on assisting tribal justice systems with obtaining federal grants to expand tribal court services in the area of child support enforcement. Catherine also serves as a grant reviewer for various federal agencies. She has a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She also obtained both and an M.A. and B.A. in French Literature from the University of Oklahoma and taught lower level French university courses for several years.
